


Barter

by astraplain



Category: Glee
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-14
Updated: 2016-05-14
Packaged: 2018-06-08 09:11:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6848413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astraplain/pseuds/astraplain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One of many things Kurt learned from his father</p>
            </blockquote>





	Barter

“Did you get a good trade?” Burt asked, unable to keep the hint of pride from his voice.

“I did,” Kurt confirmed, a little smug and mostly excited. “I learned from the best.”

“Sure did,” Burt teased, barely holding back a laugh. Kurt’s sewing skills and love of music were his mother’s influence, but he learned to barter from his father. As a business owner in a town like Lima, Burt had to be creative, sometimes trading oil changes and small repairs for goods when friends and neighbors couldn’t pay. After Elizabeth died, Burt traded for homemade cakes and neatly wrapped presents for Kurt's birthdays. It had served him well over the years, making Kurt happy and earning Burt and his business a good reputation. It had also given him something to teach with his son.

“You gonna give me a hint? Must be a pretty special gift to cost an entire Kurt Hummel original outfit.”

“Just a shirt and pants, no jacket,” Kurt clarified. “I can sew shirts in my sleep.”

“Sure you can, kid.” Burt wasn’t about to let on the number of nights he’d woken in the middle of the night to the sound of Kurt’s sewing machine. They’d had an entire closet of pillow cases and dish towels that first year after Elizabeth passed. Burt hadn’t had the heart to ask Kurt to stop. He just drove the kid to the fabric store and paid for whatever Kurt selected. Thankfully Elizabeth had been creative with her use of remnants and inexpensive cloth. It was only later that Kurt “refined his tastes”, a phrase that Burt would always interpret as “can I borrow your credit card”.

“I hope Adam likes it.” Burt had been hearing about this special project for weeks and this was the first time Kurt sounded uncertain.

“I thought you said that lady did a good job?” Burt chose his words carefully. Since the proposal disaster with that warbler kid, Burt was uncomfortably aware of the weight of his words. Most of the time he could joke around with Kurt, but there were moments when Kurt needed a gentle boost to his confidence. “It’s got the hinges you wanted, right?”

“It does. Linda even added extra finishing work around the top. It’s not the best wood, but it’s sturdy and she sanded it really smooth.”

“I bet you’ve got a place cleared for it too,” Burt prompted.

“I have an idea or two, but it’s Adam’s gift and he should get to–” Kurt broke off abruptly and when he spoke again he was whispering and speaking quickly. “Dad? Adam’s home. Can I call you later?”

“Send me pictures. I want to see this thing.”

“I will. Thanks, Dad.”

The call ended and Burt shook his head as he pocketed his phone. No matter how curious he was about the gift, he didn’t expect to hear from Kurt again today.

The next morning Burt received a text containing a single photo of Kurt and Adam, side by side and smiling, standing beside the hand crafted book stand. Burt wasn’t much for reading, but he could recognize and appreciate love in its many forms.

::end::


End file.
